Football: Ex-Japan goalkeeper Kawaguchi to retire

Goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, a member of Japan’s national squad at four World Cup finals, will retire at the end of the season, his J-League club Sagamihara said Sunday.

«I’ve decided to retire at the end of this season. All I have is a sense of appreciation,» he said in a statement released by J-League’s third-tier club.

The 43-year-old played for Japan at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and ranks third on the list of career caps for the national team with 116. He represented Japan in four straight World Cups, starting from the nation’s 1998 debut in France.

Kawaguchi was named rookie of the year in 1995 after joining Yokohama F Marinos the previous year. His career has included stints with English club Portsmouth and Danish side Nordsjaelland.